Have you ever wondered, “how can I cultivate the creative potential and capacities of my culturally and linguistically diverse students?” If so, you are in good company and in the right place. This blog post was written just for you. 

Recognizing the Narrative: Creativity in Every Student and Every Situation
Before we explore instructional strategies and frameworks for fostering creativity, let’s first define it and understand its role in K-12 education. Seminal scholars have long conceived and refined its definition, but in gifted education, creativity is widely recognized as the process of generating novel, original, and useful ideas or products (Plucker et al., 2004; Puryear & Lamb, 2020). Many individuals tend to relegate creativity to the arts, but creativity is embedded in everything that we do and see. The device you're reading this on? The result of someone's creative vision. The light in your room? A solution from a philosopher seeking to see more clearly. Even the breathtaking moments of the 2025 NBA Dunk Contest showcased creativity in full display. Creativity often stems from the desire to solve a problem, contribute to the world, or simply bring an imaginative, sometimes wild, idea to life.

Under this concept of creativity, it is critical for us to understand that everyone has the capacity to be creative. Creativity is a fundamental human capacity. No one is exempt from that foundational truth. However, educators many times do not cultivate the creative characteristics within their students because teachers tend to desire and encourage traits that are contraindicative of creativity (Kettler et al., 2018). Could this be because the American schooling structure was, and still is in many instances, never set up to support creativity? The American school system was historically designed to train students to follow instructions rather than think about and create within the world around them. Policies like No Child Left Behind (2005) reinforced and pressured multiple educators and schools to teach to a test rather than teach to the needs and interests of the individual child. We must confront how creativity has been hindered and discouraged in education and then commit to a paradigm shift, one that allows us to truly explore strategies and frameworks that actively awaken and cultivate the creative potential within our students.

Reframing the Narrative: From Undesired Behaviors to Creative Strengths 
To teach for creativity, we must first recognize how the aforementioned concept of creativity manifests in students. Let’s consider your most impulsive student - yes, the student that gives you the most opportunities to practice patience daily. Did you know that impulsivity is one of the strongest creative traits in students, especially in twice- and thrice-exceptional students (Baum et al., 2017; Ruban & Reis, 2005)? Yet, because impulsivity presents itself as disruptive classroom behaviors, it is oftentimes met with disciplinary actions and harsh consequences rather than responsive encouragement. The same is true for students who make up their own rules, challenge authority, or express intense emotions.

When we are met with creative traits that push and test our limits, how do we respond? Does our response and actions support or stifle their creative identity and potential? 

Using TABs to Identify Giftedness and Nurture Creativity
Dr. Mary M. Frasier, a pioneer and trailblazer in gifted education, was particularly renowned for her work in preparing educators to identify giftedness within their students. Frasier et al. (1995) developed the Traits, Attitudes, and Behaviors (TABs) framework for gifted identification which includes ten traits that teachers can explore when evaluating and identifying students for gifted eligibility, especially students of color. These traits include interests, motivation, inquiry, insight, humor, communication skills, memory, reasoning, problem-solving ability, and imaginative creativity. All of these traits are thoroughly defined and recognized in empirical literature as creative traits. So then, what if instead of using these traits solely for gifted identification, we also use them as a foundation for planning high ability, creativity-based instruction? For instance: 

Humor in Learning: In reading, instead of having students summarize the main idea of a text through a traditional summary, students could express the main idea of the text in the most humorous way possible. Similarly, they also can analyze and interpret a figure or formula in their mathematics course through a comedic lens as well, like the image below. 

Note: From Find X Memes Funny - I Found It Poster [Photograph], by FealHerion, RedBubble. https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Find-X-Memes-Funny-I-Found-it-by-FealHerion/44489886.LVTDI

Imaginative Creativity: At times, students may use their imagination to daydream or wander off, which is highly undesired by many educators. But what if we reframed this to our advantage? Students could read a text and imagine a proposed sequel or prequel to that text or novel. In their history course, you could challenge your students to envision a historical figure’s daily habits or predict what their life would resemble in today’s world.

Communication Skills: Take the most elaborate and detailed science report that is developmentally appropriate for your students and prompt them to communicate these findings to someone with minimal research experience. To that end, take a text written in the early 1900s or before then, and challenge your students to either rewrite this text using modern-day language. You might also do the opposite by finding a text that was published recently and have students orally communicate it with diction and a tone that resembles the 1800s.

Our students exhibit creative characteristics constantly, and on a daily basis, but how intentional are we with nurturing their creativity? 

Flipping the Narrative: Torrance’s Creative Positives 
Dr. E. Paul Torrance, the "father of creativity" who we highlighted in our April 2024 blog post, was one of the most vocal advocates for identifying and nurturing creativity in culturally diverse students. During his research with high ability Black students, Torrance (1970) developed and identified 16 creative positives. These traits are similar to TABs but are distinct in nature. They include:
● Ability to express feelings 
● Ability to improvise with commonplace materials 
● Articulate in role playing, creative activities 
● Enjoyment and ability in art, drawing, painting, etc.
● Enjoyment and ability in creative dramatics, dance, etc. 
● Enjoyment and ability in music 
● Expressiveness in speech
● Fluency and flexibility in non-verbal media 
● Enjoyment and skills in group learning, problem solving 
● Responsiveness to kinesthetic
● Expressiveness of gestures, body language, etc. 
● Humor
● Richness of imagery in informal language, brainstorming
● Problem-centeredness
● Emotional responsiveness
● Quickness of warm up
 
Torrance flipped the very creative traits that many educators do not desire in their classrooms into positive perceptions of these characteristics, as they are essential for creative thinking and can lead to academic achievement (Gajda et al., 2017). In that same spirit, challenge yourself to observe, acknowledge, and affirm these traits when they appear in your classroom. Genuine praise and authentic recognition can help all students, especially those that are culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse, embrace their creative identities and potential rather than suppress it.

Reclaiming the Narrative: Teaching for Cultural Creativity 
Teaching for creativity isn’t just about adding artistic projects to your lesson plans. While STEM and STEAM approaches to teaching and learning encourage creative problem-solving, creativity-based instruction goes beyond the surface of curricular approaches and talent development programs. It aligns with Torrance’s (1966) belief that we should teach students how to think, not what to think. Sternberg (2023) defines cultural creativity as “one’s ability to be creative across cultural boundaries, both of space and of time” (p. 363). This notion affirms that every child, regardless of their zip code, socioeconomic status, or race and ethnicity, is creative and that creativity-based instruction should emphasize the development of their creative characteristics, thinking, and processes. So, how will you encourage your students to think, both critically and creatively? How will you cultivate the creative genius that is already within them? 


References 

Baum, S. M., Schader, R. M., & Hébert, T. P. (2017). To be gifted and learning disabled: Strength-based strategies for helping twice-exceptional students with LD, ADHD, ASD, and more (3rd ed.). Prufrock Press.

FealHerion. (2025). Find X Memes Funny - I Found It Poster [Photograph]. RedBubble.https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Find-X-Memes-Funny-I-Found-it-by-FealHerion/44489886.LVTDI

Frasier M. M., Hunsaker S. L., Lee J., Mitchell S., Cramond B., Krisel S., Gracia Jaime H., Martin D., Frank E., Finley V. S. (1995). Core attributes of giftedness: A foundation for recognizing the gifted potential of minority and disadvantaged students (research monograph 95210). Storrs: University of Connecticut. National Research Center for Gifted and Talented https://nrcgt.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/953/2015/04/rm95210.pdf

Gajda, A., Karwowski, M., & Beghetto, R. A. (2017). Creativity and academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(2), 269–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000133

Kettler, T., Lamb, K. N., Willerson, A., & Mullet, D. R. (2018). Teachers’ Perceptions of Creativity in the Classroom. Creativity Research Journal, 30(2), 164–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2018.1446503

Plucker, J. A., Beghetto, R. A., & Dow, G. T. (2004). Why isn't creativity more important to educational psychologists? Potentials, pitfalls, and future directions in creativity research. Educational psychologist, 39(2), 83-96. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3902_1

Puryear, J. S., & Lamb, K. N. (2020). Defining creativity: How far have we come since Plucker, Beghetto, and Dow?. Creativity Research Journal, 32(3), 206-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2020.1821552

Ruban, L.M. and Reis, S.M. (2005) Identification and Assessment of Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities. Theory into Practice, 44, 115-124.
https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4402_6

Sternberg, R. J. (2023). Cultural creativity: A componential model. In D. D. Preiss, M. Singer, & J. C. Kaufman (Eds.), Creativity, innovation, and change across cultures (pp. 363–387). Palgrave Macmillan/Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28206-5_14

Torrance, E.P. (1966) Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. Directions Manual and Scoring Guide. Personnel Press, Lexington.

Torrance, E. P. (1970). Broadening concepts of giftedness in the 70's. Gifted Child Quarterly, 14(4), 199–208.

The Father of Creativity: The Life, Legacy, and Lessons of Dr. E. Paul Torrance (1915 - 2003)

When you hear the word “creativity,” what comes to mind? For some, it may be an artistic project, a plot twist in our favorite movie, or the launch of an innovative technological advancement. For others, it may be an outrageous dunk you saw during a basketball game or the formatting of a poem or short story. For us in gifted education, we may think of the countless researchers and theorists who defined, redefined, and conceptualized models and theories of creativity. We may also think of Dr. Ellis Paul Torrance, also known as “the father of creativity.” Many of us may be familiar with the name Torrance, especially if we administer the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking in our schools, but who was Dr. Torrance? Which moments in his life later inspired monumental moments in ours? In honor of Future Problem Solving International Program’s 50th year anniversary, a creativity-based talent development program initiated by Dr. Torrance, and the Creativity Network’s Torrance Award, we want to take a moment to shed light on the life and legacy of Dr. Torrance.

A noteworthy scholar in creative thinking and problem-solving, Torrance’s publications exceed over 2,000 works, including research articles, books, and manuals. He also developed the Incubation Model of Teaching (Torrance & Safter, 1990), which still thrives in classrooms today. Torrance’s life was not “traditional” by any means. His life experiences were as diverse as his thoughts on creativity.

The Life of a Scholar

Torrance grew up in a rural, impoverished small town in Georgia, where he and his family raised livestock on their farm. He was a twice-exceptional student, though not diagnosed (Hebert et al., 2002). Although exceptionally talented, Torrance’s small stature overclouded his early academic readiness causing his parents to make him wait until the age of seven to start school. They feared he could not endure the 3-mile round trip, along with the possibility of being bullied and physically hurt by other kids. Torrance’s father noticed his advanced creative and academic ability and encouraged him to find his own way in the world, rather than follow the status-quo of taking over their family farm. Paul followed his father’s advice and began attending school, forming the foundation of his creative and divergent thinking.

Torrance won multiple academic awards and scholarships through his foundational schooling experience and went on to earn an associate degree from Georgia Military College (GMC) and Bachelor's in English, with a minor in history and education, from Mercer University.

One of the most pivotal experiences of Torrance’s life was substituting for an ill principal, where Torrance assumed his administrative duties, including teaching several 8th and 9th grade courses (Hebert et al., 2002). Later in his life, he noted that many of the most “challenging” students went on to live successful and productive lives, likely due to his creative teaching methods (Torrance, 1963).

Following this temporary teaching assignment, Torrance returned to GMC as an instructor, where he taught foreign language, mathematics, and history courses while attending night classes to refine his pedagogical practices. During his studies, he discovered his passion for psychology and pursued his master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Minnesota (UM). Although Torrance desired to pursue a doctoral degree at the time, he lacked the financial means to do so and moved back to Georgia to continue teaching at GMC. It did not take long for UM to realize the impact Torrance’s absence had on their community, so a year later they offered him a full-time position in their Counseling Bureau. However, this assignment was short-lived, as Torrance was drafted to serve in the United States Air Force during World War II months after accepting the UM position.

The Legacy of a Scholar

During basic training, it was evident that Torrance’s physical exceptionalities would prevent him from serving in active duty. He was unable to keep in step with his fellow cadets and couldn’t hit a target with weaponry. Therefore, he was assigned as a psychiatric social worker and research psychologist for the Air Force Survival Training Program (Hebert et al., 2002). There, Torrance saw clear creativity connections between those he served in the army and those he taught and counseled back at home. His description of a “jet ace,” or a fighter pilot credited with shooting down multiple enemy planes, was identical to his description of a creative person: a courageous risk-taker who is independent and committed (Torrance, 1963). Torrance’s diverse experiences formed his purpose in life: learning how to identify and develop creative potential.

Once the war ended, Torrance returned to higher education to build upon his work, serving as a counselor and Dean of Men at Kansas State College, allowing him to save enough money to later become a full-time doctoral student at the University of Michigan. At the same time, Sputnik was launched, gifted education emerged, and the concept of “creativity” was further developed as a construct of problem-solving and divergence rather than intellect and academic ability (Guilford, 1950). On a personal level, Torrance also met the love of his life, Pansy, who was a beacon of encouragement in his life.

The impact of Torrance’s research was felt across the globe. Following the flourishing success of his career, he was met with numerous job offers, including an offer to serve as the Head of the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia. Knowing that he wanted to retire in his home state, the native decided to finally return to Georgia.

Torrance served UGA for 18 years, until Pansy had a stroke in the early 1980s, and he decided to step away to care for her. Following his retirement, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the National Association for Creative Children and Adults and continued to support his many students and colleagues in their professional and personal pursuits. Torrance passed away in 2003, but his life, legacy, and lessons live on through all that he touched and inspired.

The Lessons of a Scholar

If Dr. Torrance’s life can teach us anything, it is to first and foremost let our life be a service and tribute to others. His scholarly efforts, including his research and ideas served generations of children and educators alike. Secondly, inspire the children we teach by believing in their potential. Torrance often pointed to the creative behaviors presented in children as contrary to the academic abilities honored by educators (Torrance, 1963), leading more educators to be influenced by his work. Lastly, a legacy is found in both those you leave behind and the words you speak and write while you are here. The reason we regard Torrance is because of the stories his past students and colleagues have shared.

Torrance was more than just an educator, counselor, and professor. He was a pioneer, a mentor, a creator, an innovator, a husband, and a friend. His life, legacy, and lessons demonstrate that he is more than deserving of the distinction of “the Father of Creativity.

If you have someone in mind who inspires the creative minds of young children in schools and classrooms, please click the following link to nominate them for this prestigious award: https://form.jotform.com/240845150871153

References

Guilford, J. P. (1950). Creativity. American Psychologist, 5(9), 444–454.

Hebert, T. P., Cramond, B., Spiers Neumeister, K. L., Millar, G., & Silvian, A. F. (2002). E. Paul Torrance: His Life, Accomplishments, and Legacy. National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.

Torrance, E. P. (1963). The creative personality and the ideal pupil. Teachers College Record, 65(3), 1-9.

Torrance, E. P., & Safter, H. T. (1990). The incubation model of teaching: Getting beyond the aha!. Bearly Limited.